Nitazene opioids and the heart: Identification of a cardiac ion channel target for illicit nitazene opioids
The growing use of nitazene synthetic opioids heralds a new phase of the opioid crisis. However, limited information exists on the toxic effects of these drugs, aside from a propensity for respiratory depression. With restricted research availability of nitazenes, we used machine-learning-based tool...
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| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
Elsevier
2024-12-01
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| Series: | Journal of Molecular and Cellular Cardiology Plus |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2772976124000588 |
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| Summary: | The growing use of nitazene synthetic opioids heralds a new phase of the opioid crisis. However, limited information exists on the toxic effects of these drugs, aside from a propensity for respiratory depression. With restricted research availability of nitazenes, we used machine-learning-based tools to evaluate five nitazene compounds' interaction potential with the hERG potassium channel, a key drug antitarget in the heart. All nitazenes were predicted to inhibit hERG with low μM IC50 values. These findings indicate a potential for proarrhythmic hERG block by nitazene opioids, warranting detailed cardiac safety evaluations of these drugs. |
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| ISSN: | 2772-9761 |